Promising artists to gather at Mamut Art Project
ISTANBUL
Turkey’s artist-led contemporary art event Mamut Art Project is set to exhibit 400 works by 50 emerging artists in its sixth edition from April 26 to 29 in Istanbul.
Dedicated to engaging up-and-coming artists with new collectors, galleries and curators, Mamut Art Project provides a dynamic platform for emerging creative talent throughout Turkey and abroad.
Directed by Seren Kohen, the project will exhibit 400 artworks at accessible prices across a wide range of disciplines including painting, sculpture, collage, photography, textile, digital art, animation, street art, new media and installation.
Some 50 up-and-coming artists have been selected from 1,000 applications across the region by a jury of five multi-disciplinary experts. The jury includes Ayşe Erkmen, a contemporary artist who has exhibited at the Turkish pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale; the Barbican Center in London and most recently at Skulptur Projekte Münster with her new project entitled “On Water;” Ayşe Umur, a collector, businesswoman and an active supporter of civil society organizations; Evrim Altuğ, arts and culture journalist, art critic and founding member of AICA Turkey; Haldun Dostoğlu, founding director of Gallery Nev in Istanbul; and Selen Ansen, art theoretician and curator.
“Last year, we had a record edition attracting over 20,000 visitors; now I am confident to say that through Mamut Art Project, we’ve created a pioneering platform offering a distinctive alternative to the established commercial art fair model. In each edition, we keep taking it a step further and offer a unique artistic experience and affirm Istanbul’s prominence as an artistic hub for the region. We are looking forward to receiving new creative applications and we are very excited about the new concept of Mamut Performances which I am confident will offer an inspirational experience for art lovers,” said Kohen.
As well as providing curatorial guidance, promotional support and networking opportunities during the exhibition, Mamut Art Project also offers ongoing professional development consultancy to artists participating in the exhibition.
Sponsored by Akkök Holding, the event aims to celebrate and support emerging artistic talent through an international and multidisciplinary showcase, whilst giving an opportunity to art lovers to discover new names and buy original artworks at accessible prices.
Mamut performances
Three years ago, Mamut Art Project started a long¬-term collaboration with Simge Burhanoğlu, the founder of Performistanbul and Seyhan Musaoğlu, founder of Space Debris, to showcase the importance and power of performance art.
In its third edition, Mamut performances aim to strengthen this program with notable additions under the theme of “Immaterial?”
For the first time in an art project in Turkey, the re-performance rights of the works in this section will be sold, staying true to the integrity of the works while maintaining the artistic copyrights. This initiation will mark an important chapter in the ongoing development of performance art in Turkey, focusing on the immaterial, experiential aspects of the discipline whilst also re-affirming the role, relevance and value of performance art.
‘Mythz’ by Krüw
KRÜW is an Istanbul-based artist collective with 20 artists from different fields including illustrators, sculptors and street artists. For the sixth edition of Mamut, KRÜW will be creating an exclusive series of works inspired by mythological stories told across different territories and culture.
A stated objective of the collective is to demonstrate that art should be accessible, and as such all works in “Mythz” will be made as attractively priced silkscreen prints throughout the Mamut event.
For the 2018 edition, Mamut Art Project will also launch a Mamut kids section in a special area designed by Atölye 5. Children will have the chance to participate in interactive, colorful, fun and accessible activities focusing on process and experience.